Project XS Chevelle Tail Section Rust Repair - Oxidation Triage

We Tackle More Rust Repair On Our Project XS Chevelle, And Show You When It's A Good Idea To Bring In A Pro For Your Own Restoration Project.

In our last story dealing with the rebirth of our rust-stricken Chevelle, we had finished up getting the keel of Project XS set in place. For this installment, we began to repair the rusted-out tail section and grafting in our donor tail piece.

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Since Project XS lived most of its life in the rust belt, salty winter road spray had really done a number on the back end of the car, along with the natural moisture-attracting tendency of the gobs of factory seam/body sealer that had been slathered in the corners of the rear fenders. After we cleaned up our donor tail piece, we found it had some issues of its own, requiring some custom metal work to get everything solidified so we could look toward our next step: installing new quarters and widening our wheelwells for some fat tires capable of handling the torque of the 572 big-block we've got for powering our A-body.

This part of the car, even though difficult to fix, provided a great opportunity to show you, the reader, a great example of when it's time to get some help on your own project. Since custom metal work requires specialized tools that most DIYers aren't going to have in their garage, taking this particular job to a shop is a viable option to be considered. A good shop will have no problem fixing just one part on your car, and though you'll have to shell out some money for the labor, it'll still be better for your project budget as opposed to buying the necessary equipment to do the job yourself.

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